Effective Date: April 14, 2003
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND
DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW
IT CAREFULLY.
WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE?
PERMISSIONS DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE
IMPORTANT SUMMARY INFORMATION
WHAT HEALTH INFORMATION IS PROTECTED?
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
YOUR RIGHTS TO ACCESS AND CONTROL YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
TLC Health Network is required by law to protect the privacy of health
information that may reveal your identity, and to provide you with a copy
of this notice that describes the health information privacy practices
of our hospitals, our medical staff, our employees, and health care providers
that provide health care services within TLC Health Network. A copy of
our current notice will always be posted in our reception area. You will
also be able to obtain your own copies by accessing our website at www.tlchealth.org,
calling our office at 716-951-7070 or asking for one at the time of your
next visit.
If you have any questions about this notice or would like further information,
please contact the TLC Health Network Privacy Officer at 716-951-7070.
WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE?
TLC Health Network provides health care to patients along with physicians
and other health care professionals and organizations. The privacy practices
described in this notice will be followed by the following persons at
Lake Shore Health Care Center, Tri-County Memorial Hospital, Gowanda
Medical
Center, Conewango Valley Medical Center, Tri-County Medical Office, Long
Term Home Health Care, ACT Program, Tri-County Dental Clinic, and Tri-County
Chemical Dependency Programs.
• Any health care professional who treats you at any of these locations;
• All employees, medical staff, trainees, students or volunteers at any
of these locations;
• Any business associates of these facilities (which are described further
below).
PERMISSIONS DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE
This notice will explain the different types of permission we will obtain
from you before we use or disclose your health information for a variety
of purposes. The three types of permissions referred to in this notice
are:
•
A "general written consent," which TLC Health Network must
obtain from you in order to use and disclose your health information
in order to treat you, obtain payment for that treatment, and conduct
our
business operations. TLC Health Network must obtain this general written
consent the first time we provide you with treatment or services. This
general written consent is a broad permission that does not have to be
repeated each time we provide treatment or services to you.
•
An "opportunity to object," which TLC Health Network must
provide to you before we may use or disclose your health information
for certain
purposes. In these situations, you will have an opportunity to object
to the use or disclosure of your health information in person, over the
phone,
or in writing.
•
A "written authorization," which will provide you with detailed
information about the persons who may receive your health information
and the specific purposes for which your health information may be used
or
disclosed. TLC Health Network is only permitted to use and disclose your
health information described on the written authorization in ways that
are explained on the written authorization form you have signed. A written
authorization will have an expiration date or will expire upon the occurrence
of a particular event.
IMPORTANT SUMMARY INFORMATION
Requirement For Written Authorization. TLC Health Network will generally
obtain your written authorization before using your health information
or sharing it with others outside the hospital. You may also initiate
the transfer of your records to another person by completing a written
authorization
form. If you provide us with written authorization, you may revoke that
written authorization at any time, except to the extent that we have
already relied upon it. To revoke a written authorization, please write
to the
TLC Health Network Privacy Officer, 100 Memorial Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070
or TLC Privacy Officer, 845 Routes 5 & 20, Irving, NY 14081 to revoke
such authorization.
Exceptions To Written Authorization Requirement. There are some situations
when we do not need your written authorization before using your health
information or sharing it with others. They are:
• Exception For Treatment, Payment, And Business Operations. TLC Health
Network will only obtain your general written consent one time to use and disclose
your health information to treat your condition, collect payment for
that
treatment, or run our business operations. In some cases, TLC Health
Network also may disclose your health information to another health care provider
or payor for its payment activities and certain of its business operations.
For more information, see pages 5-6 of this notice.
• Exception For Patient Directory And Disclosure To Family And Friends
Involved In Your Care. If you are an inpatient, TLC Health Network will ask you
whether you have any objection to including information about you in
our
Patient Directory or sharing information about your health with your
friends and family involved in your care. For more information, see page 6 of
this
notice. TLC Health Network's policy is to not disclose protected health
information about Behavioral Health or Alcohol and Substance Abuse patients
except as permitted or required by law.
• Exception In Emergencies Or Public Need. TLC Health Network may use or
disclose your health information in an emergency or for important public
needs. For example, we may share your information with public health
officials at the New York state or county health departments who are authorized
to
investigate and control the spread of diseases. For more examples, see
pages 7-10 of this notice.
•
Exception If Information Is Completely Or Partially De-Identified. TLC
Health Network may use or disclose your health information if we have
removed any information that might identify you so that the health information
is "completely de-identified." TLC Health Network may also
use and disclose "partially de-identified" information if
the person who will receive the information agrees in writing to protect
the
privacy of the information. For more information, please see page 10
of this notice.
How Someone May Act On Your Behalf. You have the right to name a personal
representative who may act on your behalf to control the privacy of your
health information. Parents and guardians will generally have the right
to control the privacy of health information about minors unless the
minors are permitted by law to act on their own behalf.
Protections For HIV, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and Mental Health.
Special privacy protections apply to HIV-related information and Behavioral
Health
or Alcohol and Substance Abuse Information (including alcohol and substance
abuse treatment information, and mental health information). Some parts
of this general Notice of Privacy Practices may not apply to these types
of information.
How To Obtain A Copy Of This Notice. You have the right to a paper copy
of this notice. You may request a paper copy at any time, even if you
have previously agreed to receive this notice electronically. To do so,
please
call the TLC Health Network Privacy Officer at 716-951-7070. You may
also obtain a copy of this notice from our website at www.tlchealth.org,
or
by requesting a copy at your next visit.
How To Obtain A Copy Of Revised Notice. TLC Health Network may change
our privacy practices from time to time. If we do, we will revise this
notice
so you will have an accurate summary of our practices. The revised notice
will apply to all of your health information. TLC Health Network will
post any revised notice in our hospital reception area. You will also
be able
to obtain your own copy of the revised notice by accessing our website
at www.tlchealth.org, calling our office at 716-951-7070 or asking for
one at the time of your next visit. The effective date of the notice
will always be noted in the top right corner of the first page. TLC Health
Network
is required to abide by the terms of the notice that is currently in
effect.
How To File A Complaint. If you believe your privacy rights have been
violated, you may file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the
Department
of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with us, please contact
the TLC Health Network Privacy Officer at 716-951-7070. In accordance
with TLC Health Network corporate policy and federal law, no one will
retaliate
or take action against you for filing a complaint.
WHAT HEALTH INFORMATION IS PROTECTED?
TLC Health Network is committed to protecting the privacy of information
we gather about you while providing health-related services. Some examples
of protected health information are:
• information indicating that you are a patient at the hospital or receiving
treatment or other health-related services from our hospital;
• information about your health condition (such as a disease you may have);
• information about health care products or services you have received
or may receive in the future (such as an operation); or
• information about your health care benefits under an insurance plan (such
as whether a prescription is covered);
when combined with:
• demographic information (such as your name, address, or insurance status);
•
unique numbers that may identify you (such as your social security number, your
phone number, or your driver’s license number); and
• other types of information that may identify who you are.
HOW WE MAY USE
AND DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
1. Treatment, Payment
And Business Operations
With your general written consent TLC Health Network may use your health
information or share it with others in order to treat your condition, obtain
payment for
that treatment, and run our business operations. In some cases, TLC Health
Network may also disclose your health information for payment activities
and certain
business operations of another health care provider or payor. Below are further
examples of how your information may be used and disclosed for these purposes.
Treatment. TLC Health Network may share your health information with doctors,
nurses or treating practitioners at our facilities who are involved in taking
care of you, and they may in turn use that information to diagnose or treat
you. A treating practitioner at our hospital may share your health information
with
another health care provider inside our hospital, or with a treating practitioner
at another hospital or health care facility, to determine how to diagnose
or treat you. Your treating practitioner may also share your health information
with another treating practitioner to whom you have been referred for further
health care.
Payment. TLC Health Network may use your health information or share it with
others so that we may obtain payment for your health care services. These
include your health insurance company, employer-sponsored self-funded group
health
plan, Medicare, Medicaid, and any other party that may be responsible for
paying or
processing for payment of any portion your bill for services. For example,
TLC Health Network may share information about you with your health insurance
company
in order to obtain reimbursement after we have treated you, or to determine
whether it will cover your treatment. TLC Health Network might also need
to inform a
payor about your health condition in order to obtain pre-approval for your
treatment, such as admitting you to the hospital for a particular type of
surgery. Finally,
we may share your information with other health care providers and payors
for their payment activities.
Business Operations. TLC Health Network may use your health information or
share it with others in order to conduct our business operations. For example,
we may
use your health information to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring
for you, or to educate our staff on how to improve the care they provide
for you. TLC Health Network may share your health information with other
health
care providers and payors for certain of their business operations if the
information is related to a relationship the provider or payor currently
has or previously
had with you, and if the provider or payor is required by federal law to
protect the privacy of your health information.
Appointment Reminders, Treatment Alternatives, Benefits And Services. In
the course of providing treatment to you, TLC Health Network may use your
health
information to contact you with a reminder that you have an appointment for
treatment or services at one of our facilities. TLC Health Network may also
use your health
information in order to recommend possible treatment alternatives or health-related
benefits and services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising. To support our business operations, TLC Health Network may use
demographic information about you, including information about your age and
gender, where
you live or work, and the dates that you received treatment, in order to
contact you to raise money to help us operate. TLC Health Network may also
share this
information with a TLC Health Network charitable foundation that will contact
you to raise money on our behalf.
Business Associates. TLC Health Network may disclose your health information
to contractors, agents and other business associates who need the information
in order to assist us with obtaining payment or carrying out our business
operations. For example, TLC Health Network may share your health information
with a billing
company that helps us to obtain payment from your insurance company. Another
example is that we may share your health information with an accounting firm
or law firm that provides professional advice to us about how to improve
our health care services and comply with the law. If TLC Health Network does
disclose
your health information to a business associate, we will have a written contract
to ensure that our business associate also protects the privacy of your health
information.
TLC Health Network can do all of these things if you have signed a general
written consent form. Once you sign this general written consent form, it
will be in
effect indefinitely unless you revoke your general written consent. You may
revoke your general written consent at any time, except to the extent that
we have already
relied upon it. For example, if we provide you with treatment before you
revoke your general written consent, we may still share your health information
with
your insurance company in order to obtain payment for that treatment. To
revoke your general written consent, please write to the TLC Health Network
Privacy
Officer 100 Memorial Drive,
Gowanda, NY 14070 or 845 Routes 5&20, Irving, NY 14081.
2. Patient Directory/Family and Friends
TLC Health Network may use your health information in, and disclose it from,
our Patient Directory where applicable, or share it with family and friends
involved in your care, without your written authorization. TLC Health Network
will always
give you an opportunity to object unless there is insufficient time because
of a medical emergency (in which case we will discuss your preferences with
you
as soon as the emergency is over). TLC Health Network will follow your wishes
unless we are required by law to do otherwise.
Patient Directory. If you do not object, TLC Health Network will include
your name, your location in our facility, your general condition (e.g.,
fair, stable,
critical, etc.) and your religious affiliation in our Patient Directory
while you are a patient in the hospital or one of the facilities listed
at the
beginning of this notice. This directory information, except for your religious
affiliation,
may be released to people who ask for you by name. Your religious affiliation
may be given to a member of the clergy, such as a priest or rabbi, even
if he or she doesn’t ask for you by name. TLC Health Network's policy
is to not disclose protected health information about Behavioral Health
or Alcohol
and
Substance Abuse patients except as permitted or required by law.
Family and Friends Involved In Your Care. If you do not object, TLC Health
Network may share your health information with a family member, relative,
or close personal
friend who is involved in your care or payment for that care. We may also
notify a family member, personal representative or another person responsible
for
your care about your location and general condition here at the hospital,
or about
the unfortunate event of your death. In some cases, TLC Health Network may
need to share your information with a disaster relief organization that will
help
us notify these persons. Behavioral Health or Alcohol and Substance Abuse
patients will be given the opportunity to object each time before information
about
them is released to family and friends. This will apply whether or not consent
was
authorized at time of admission in the TLC Health Network Consent for Treatment
or Payment Agreement.
3. Emergencies Or Public Need
TLC Health Network may use your health information, and share it with others,
in order to treat you in an emergency or to meet important public needs.
TLC Health Network will not be required to obtain your general written consent
before using or disclosing your information for these reasons. TLC Health
Network
will,
however, obtain your written authorization for, or provide you with an opportunity
to object to, the use and disclosure of your health information in these
situations when state law specifically requires that we do so.
Emergencies. TLC Health Network may use or disclose your health information
if you need emergency treatment or if we are required by law to treat you
but are
unable to obtain your general written consent. If this happens, TLC Health
Network will try to obtain your general written consent as soon as we reasonably
can
after we treat you.
Communication Barriers. TLC Health Network may use and disclose your health
information if we are unable to obtain your general written consent because
of substantial
communication barriers, and we believe you would want us to treat you if
we could communicate with you.
As Required By Law. TLC Health Network may use or disclose your health information
if we are required by law to do so. TLC Health Network also will notify you
of these uses and disclosures if notice is required by law.
Public Health Activities. TLC Health Network may disclose your health information
to authorized public health officials (or a foreign government agency collaborating
with such officials) so they may carry out their public health activities.
For example, we may share your health information with government officials
who are
responsible for controlling disease, injury or disability. TLC Health Network
may also disclose your health information to a person who may have been exposed
to a communicable disease or be at risk for contracting or spreading the
disease if a law permits us to do so. And finally, TLC Health Network may
release some
health information about you to your employer if your employer hires us to
provide you with a physical exam and we discover that you have a work-related
injury
or disease that your employer must know about in order to comply with employment
laws.
Victims Of Abuse, Neglect Or Domestic Violence. TLC Health Network may release
your health information to a public health authority that is authorized to
receive reports of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. For example, we may
report your
information to government officials if we reasonably believe that you have
been a victim of such abuse, neglect or domestic violence. TLC Health Network
will
make every effort to obtain your permission before releasing this information,
but in some cases we may be required or authorized to act without your permission.
Health Oversight Activities. TLC Health Network may release your health information
to government agencies authorized to conduct audits, investigations, and
inspections of our facility. These government agencies monitor the operation
of the health
care system, government benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and
compliance with government regulatory programs and civil rights laws.
Product Monitoring, Repair And Recall. TLC Health Network may disclose your
health information to a person or company that is regulated by the Food and
Drug Administration
for the purpose of: (1) reporting or tracking product defects or problems;
(2) repairing, replacing, or recalling defective or dangerous products; or
(3) monitoring
the performance of a product after it has been approved for use by the general
public.
Lawsuits And Disputes. TLC Health Network may disclose your health information
if we are ordered to do so by a court or administrative tribunal that is
handling a lawsuit or other dispute.
Law Enforcement. TLC Health Network may disclose your health information
to law enforcement officials for the following reasons:
• To comply with court orders or laws that TLC Health Network is required
to follow;
• To assist law enforcement officers with identifying or locating a suspect,
fugitive, witness, or missing person;
• If you have been the victim of a crime and TLC Health Network determines
that: (1) we have been unable to obtain your general written consent because
of an
emergency or your incapacity; (2) law enforcement officials need this information
immediately to carry out their law enforcement duties; and (3) in our professional
judgment disclosure to these officers is in your best interests;
• If TLC Health Network suspects that your death resulted from criminal
conduct;
• If necessary to report a crime that occurred on our property; or
• If necessary to report a crime discovered during an offsite medical emergency
(for example, by emergency medical technicians at the scene of a crime).
To Avert A Serious And Imminent Threat To Health Or Safety. TLC Health Network
may use your health information or share it with others when necessary to
prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety, or the health
or safety
of another person or the public. In such cases, we will only share your information
with someone able to help prevent the threat. TLC Health Network may also
disclose your health information to law enforcement officers if you tell
us that you
participated in a violent crime that may have caused serious physical harm
to another person
(unless you admitted that fact while in counseling), or if we determine that
you escaped from lawful custody.
National Security And Intelligence Activities Or Protective Services. TLC
Health Network may disclose your health information to authorized federal
officials
who are conducting national security and intelligence activities or providing
protective services to the President of the United States or other important
officials.
Military And Veterans. If you are in the Armed Forces, TLC Health Network
may disclose health information about you to appropriate military command
authorities
for activities they deem necessary to carry out their military mission. We
may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the
appropriate
foreign military authority.
Inmates And Correctional Institutions. If you are an inmate or you are detained
by a law enforcement officer, TLC Health Network may disclose your health
information to the prison officers or law enforcement officers if necessary
to provide
you with health care, or to maintain safety, security and good order at the
place
where you are confined. This includes sharing information that is necessary
to protect the health and safety of other inmates or persons involved in
supervising or transporting inmates.
Workers’ Compensation. TLC Health Network may disclose your health information
for workers’ compensation or similar programs that provide benefits
for work-related injuries.
Coroners, Medical Examiners And Funeral Directors. In the unfortunate event
of your death, TLC Health Network may disclose your health information to
a coroner
or medical examiner. This may be necessary, for example, to determine the
cause of death. TLC Health Network may also release this information to funeral
directors
as necessary to carry out their duties.
Organ And Tissue Donation. In the unfortunate event of your death, TLC Health
Network may disclose your health information to organizations that procure
or store organs, eyes or other tissues so that these organizations may investigate
whether donation or transplantation is possible under applicable laws.
Research. As appropriate, TLC Health Network will ask for your written authorization
before using your health information or sharing it with others in order to
conduct research. However, under some circumstances, TLC Health Network may
use and disclose
your health information without your written authorization if we obtain approval
through a special process to ensure that research without your written authorization
poses minimal risk to your privacy. TLC Health Network may also release your
health information without your written authorization to people who are preparing
a future research project. In the unfortunate event of your death, we may
share your health information with people who are conducting research using
the information
of deceased person.
4. Completely De-identified Or Partially De-identified Information.
TLC Health Network may use and disclose your health information if we have
removed any information that has the potential to identify you so that
the health information
is "completely de-identified." TLC Health Network may also use and
disclose "partially de-identified" health information about
you if the person who will receive the information signs an agreement to
protect
the
privacy of the information as required by federal and state law. Partially
de-identified health information will not contain any information that
would directly identify
you (such as your name, street address, social security number, phone number,
fax number, electronic mail address, website address, or license number).
5. Incidental Disclosures
While TLC Health Network will take reasonable steps to safeguard the privacy
of your health information, certain disclosures of your health information
may occur during or as an unavoidable result of our otherwise permissible
uses or
disclosures of your health information. For example, during the course
of a treatment session, other patients in the treatment area may see, or
overhear
discussion
of, your health information.
YOUR
RIGHTS TO ACCESS AND CONTROL
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
TLC Health Network wants you to know that you have the
following rights to access and control your health information. These
rights are
important
because
they
will help you make sure that the health information we have about you
is accurate. They may also help you control the way TLC Health Network
uses
your information
and share it with others, or the way we communicate with you about your
medical matters.
1. Right To Inspect And Copy Records
You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of any of your health
information that may be used to make decisions about you and your treatment
for as
long as we maintain this information in our records. This includes medical
and
billing records. To inspect or obtain a copy of your health information,
please submit
your request in writing to the TLC Health Network Privacy Officer, 100
Memorial Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070 or TLC Privacy Officer, 845 Routes
5&20,
Irving, NY 14081. If you request a copy of the information, TLC Health
Network may
charge a fee for the costs of copying, mailing or other supplies we use
to fulfill your
request. The standard fee is $0.75 per page and must generally be paid
before or at the time we give the copies to you.
TLC Health Network will respond to your request for inspection of records
within 10 days. TLC Health Network ordinarily will respond to requests
for copies
within 30 days if the information is located in our facility, and within
60 days if
it is located off-site at another facility. If we need additional time
to respond to a request for copies, we will notify you in writing within
the
time frame
above to explain the reason for the delay and when you can expect to
have a final answer to your request.
Under certain very limited circumstances, TLC Health Network may deny
your request to inspect or obtain a copy of your information. If we do,
TLC Health
Network
will provide you with a summary of the information instead. TLC Health
Network will also provide a written notice that explains our reasons
for providing
only a summary, and a complete description of your rights to have that
decision reviewed
and how you can exercise those rights. The notice will also include information
on how to file a complaint about these issues with us or with the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services. If we have reason to
deny only part
of your request, TLC Health Network will provide complete access to the
remaining parts after excluding the information we cannot let you inspect
or copy.
2. Right To Amend Records
If you believe that the health information we have about you is incorrect
or incomplete, you may ask TLC Health Network to amend the information.
You have
the right to request an amendment for as long as the information is kept
in our records. To request an amendment, please write to the TLC Health
Network Privacy
Officer, 100 Memorial Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070 or 845 Routes 5 & 20,
Irving, NY 14081. Your request should include the reasons why you think
TLC Health
Network should make the amendment. Ordinarily TLC Health Network will
respond to your
request within 60 days. If TLC Health Network needs additional time to
respond, we will notify you in writing within 60 days to explain the
reason for the
delay and when you can expect to have a final answer to your request.
If TLC Health Network denies part or all of your request, we will provide
a written notice that explains our reasons for doing so. You will have
the right
to have
certain information related to your requested amendment included in your
records. For example, if you disagree with our decision, you will have
an opportunity
to submit a statement explaining your disagreement which we will include
in your records. TLC Health Network will also include information on
how to file
a complaint
with us or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
These procedures will be explained in more detail in any written denial
notice we send you.
3. Right To An Accounting Of Disclosures
After April 14, 2003, you have a right to request an "accounting of disclosures" which
identifies certain other persons or organizations to whom we have disclosed
your health information in accordance with applicable law and the protections
afforded
in this Notice of Privacy Practices. An accounting of disclosures does
not describe the ways that your health information has been shared within
and between
the
hospital and the facilities listed at the beginning of this notice, as
long as all other protections described in this Notice of Privacy Practices
have
been
followed (such as obtaining the required approvals before sharing your
health information with our doctors for research purposes).
An accounting of disclosures also does not include information about
the following disclosures:
• Disclosures we made to you or your personal representative;
• Disclosures we made pursuant to your written authorization;
• Disclosures we made for treatment, payment or business operations;
• Disclosures made from the patient directory;
• Disclosures made to your friends and family involved in your care or
payment for your care;
• Disclosures that were incidental to permissible uses and disclosures
of your health information (for example, when information is overheard
by another patient
passing by);
• Disclosures for purposes of research, public health or our business operations
of limited portions of your health information that do not directly identify
you;
• Disclosures made to federal officials for national security and intelligence
activities;
• Disclosures about inmates to correctional institutions or law enforcement
officers;
• Disclosures made before April 14, 2003.
To request an accounting of disclosures, please write to the TLC Health Network
Privacy Officer, 100 Memorial Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070 or 845 Routes
5 & 20,
Irving, NY 14081. Your request must state a time period within the past
six years (but after April 14, 2003) for the disclosures you want us
to include.
For example,
you may request a list of the disclosures that we made between January
1, 2004 and January 1, 2005. You have a right to receive one accounting
within every
12 month period for free. However, we may charge you for the cost of
providing any additional accounting in that same 12 month period. TLC Health
Network
will always notify you of any cost involved so that you may choose to
withdraw or
modify your request before any costs are incurred.
Ordinarily TLC Health Network will respond to your request for an accounting
within 60 days. If we need additional time to prepare the accounting
you have requested, we will notify you in writing about the reason for
the delay
and
the date when you can expect to receive the accounting. In rare cases,
TLC Health
Network may have to delay providing you with the accounting without notifying
you because a law enforcement official or government agency has asked
us to do so.
4. Right To Request Additional Privacy Protections
You have the right to request that we further restrict the way TLC Health
Network uses and discloses your health information to treat your condition,
collect
payment for that treatment, or run our business operations. You may also
request that
we limit how we disclose information about you to family or friends involved
in your care. For example, you could request that we not disclose information
about a surgery you had. To request restrictions, please write to the
TLC Health Network Privacy Officer, 100 Memorial Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070
or
845 Routes
5 & 20, Irving, NY 14081. Your request should include (1) what information
you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit how we use the information,
how we share it with others, or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits
to apply.
TLC Health Network is not required to agree to your request for a restriction,
and in some cases the restriction you request may not be permitted under
law. However, if TLC Health Network does agree, we will be bound by our
agreement unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency
treatment
or
comply with the law. Once TLC Health Network has agreed to a restriction,
you have the
right to revoke the restriction at any time. Under some circumstances,
TLC Health Network will also have the right to revoke the restriction
as long
as we notify
you before doing so; in other cases, we will need your permission before
we can revoke the restriction.
5. Right To Request Confidential Communications
You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your
medical matters in a more confidential way by requesting that TLC Health
Network
communicates with you by alternative means or at alternative locations.
For example, you
may ask that we contact you at home instead of at work. To request more
confidential communications, please write to the TLC Health Network Privacy
Officer, 100
Memorial
Drive, Gowanda, NY 14070 or 845 Routes 5 & 20, Irving, NY 14081.
You will be requested to complete the Request for Additional Privacy
Access
form. TLC
Health Network will not ask you the reason for your request, and we will
try to accommodate all reasonable requests. Please specify in your request
how
or where you wish to be contacted, and how payment for your health care
will be
handled if TLC Health Network communicates with you through this alternative
method or location. |